UFC 79: Living up to the Hype

A match six years in the making.

Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, former UFC light heavyweight champion, known for dominating the UFC light heavyweight division with incredible victories over notable fighters such as Renato Sobral, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Jeff Monson, Kevin Randelman, Guy Metzger, Jeremy Horn, Murilo Bustamente, and Vitor Belfort. Liddell reigned as the UFC champion from April 16, 2005 to May 26, 2007 and was regarded as one the world’s top light heavyweights next to his rival, PRIDE champion, Wanderlei Silva.

Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, former PRIDE middleweight champion, much like Liddell is known for dominating the PRIDE middleweight division stopping the likes of Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kiyoshi Tamura, Hidehiko Yoshida, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Yuki Kondo, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Ricardo Arona, and Kazuyuki Fujita. Silva reigned as the PRIDE middleweight champion from 2001-2007 and he also won the PRIDE World Grand Prix in 2003.

Liddell and Silva have been on a collision course for many years but due to various reasons the fight never materialized. Finally after years of work, UFC president Dana White and Zuffa purchased the assets of PRIDE Fighting Championships making it a now or never situation. Shortly after the purchase of PRIDE, White signed Silva setting up the biggest fight in mixed martial arts history, Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva.

Entering the bout both fighters were coming off of two tough losses and Saturday night marked an important moment in each fighter’s career for a variety of different reasons.

Finally for the first time since April 2000, the lights in the Mandalay Bay Events Center dimmed and Sandstorm by Darude erupted throughout the confines of the sold out Mandalay Bay. Silva bounced around in the alleyway as he and his crew got the go ahead to make their way to the octagon.

Next out was “The Iceman” who possessed his vintage stare as he walked out to Intro by DMX. Walking alongside his long-time friend and coach, John Hackelman, Liddell was swarmed by fans as he took the never ending walk to the cage.

The building was abuzz after the entrances and the pre-fight stare down added much more intensity as both fighters stood in the middle of the octagon with their eyes fixated on one another. Referee Herb Dean called for a clean fight telling the fighters to “touch gloves and get ready to do this.”

Liddell and Silva both came out cautious showing a tremendous amount of respect for each other. Around the one minute mark, the action began to pick up as both fighters exchanged glancing shots. The first real exchange came when Liddell nailed Wanderlei with a good right. Wanderlei staggered back towards the cage and as Chuck charged in both guys exchanged bombs along the fence. Maintaining the distance, Chuck utilized his kicks and jabs while fending off the blitzkrieg offered up by his Brazilian counterpart.

The second stanza took a different turn early as Wanderlei came out with a vicious combination that had Liddell retreating. Both fighters picked their shots for the first half of the bout until Liddell attempted a body kick slipping in the process. On his way up Wanderlei came in with a flurry of left and rights but Chuck weathered the storm and backed away. At the two minute mark, Chuck slipped again but just before going down, “The Axe Murderer” nailed Liddell with a hard right to the cranium. The final minute was wild as they went toe-to-toe against the cage with Liddell opening a nice cut over the eye of Silva. Surprising almost everyone including Wanderlei, Chuck grabbed a leg in secured a single as the round ended.

The third and final round saw an immediate takedown from Liddell as he shot in and put Wanderlei on his back. No sooner were they back on their feet and throwing bombs. At about the two minute mark, Liddell caught Silva with a spinning back fist which had him retreating as Chuck charged forward with a barrage of lefts and rights. Being a true warrior, Wanderlei leaned up against the fence and winged off wild punches at the same time. Ending out the round, Liddell shot in again and secured a takedown and ultimately the win over his long-time PRIDE rival.

Impressing everyone, Liddell and Silva lived up to the hype providing fans with an epic bout that many thought would never materialize.

After the bout, Liddell said “You know, he had a lot better chin then I thought he did. I hit him with a lot of shots real hard and still kept coming. I hurt him a few times during the fight but he just covered up and kept coming.”

Joe Rogan also caught up with Wanderlei Silva who said, “He’s a very tough guy. He win, he’s real. I give my best. Win or lose for me I like emotion for my fans here and everywhere. Thanks guys, thanks for coming. My pleasure, I give my best.”